Refrigerator latch mechanism



April 1, 1958 w. J. sTlLGER REFRIGERATOR LATCH MECHANISM Filed Aug. 20. 1956 as 127F mi" T IN VENTOR.

United States Patent O REFRIGERATOR LATCH MECHANISM Wlodzimierz Jan Stilger, Port Washington, N. Y.

Application August 20, 1956, Serial No. 605,027

1 Claim.- (Cl. 292-175) This invention relates to door latches and, more particularly, to door latches for refrigerators.

Various types of door latch mechanisms have been proposed for use in connection with the front surface of refrigerator doors, and these have met with certain objections concerning their location. Such door latches often protrude several inches outwardly from the refrigerator, thereby wasting space and interfering with the movement of people in congested areas. An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a latch for re frigerator doors that is simple in construction, etiicient in operation, and which will overcome the aforementioned difficulties.

Another object of this invention, is to provide a door latch mechanism for refrigerator in which the actuating mechanism is mounted in the side of the door, whereby such mechanism does not visibly protrude from any parts of the refrigerator.

A still further object of this invention, is to provide a refrigerator door latch that is mounted for operation from the side of the door and which includes a minimum number of moving parts so as to withstand substantial use.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following specication, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a refrigerator ernbodying a door latch mechanism made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the refrigerator shown in Figure l; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the construction of the door latch mechanism shown in Figures l and 2.

Referring now to Figure l of the drawing, a refrigerator having a door 12 hingedly connected thereto is shown wherein the side edge 14 of the door is provided with an opening defined by a rectangular frame y15. A manually operable pressure plate 17 extends into the opening of the frame 15 from the interior portion of the door.

The pressure plate 17 is secured to the outwardly disposed end of an operator rod 18 that is slidably supported for reciprocating horizontal movement within the door on spaced bearing blocks 21, 22. The outer bearing block 20 is provided with a rectangular opening 22 that is adapted to slidably support the outer end of the operator rod 18, while the inwardly disposed bearing block 21 is provided with a pair of vertically spaced horizontally disposed slots 23 that are adapted to slidably receive vertically spaced sides 25 which define a rectangular opening in the inner end of the actuator or operator rod 18. An integral end wall 26 supports one end of a longitudinal rod 27 which is fixed at its other end to the other side of the opening defined by the sides 25. AY spring 28 is mounted upon the outer end of the rod 27 and is seated at one end against the bearing block 21 and at the other end against the outer extremity of the defined opening in the operator rod 18.

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An L-shaped hook 29 is rigidly secured to the cabinet structure 11 of the refrigerator. This hook includes a leg 30 that terminates in a perpendicularly related base 31 which extends through a centrally disposed opening 33 in the operator r-od 18. The inner extremity of the base 31 is provided with a rotatably mounted roller 35 that acts as an anti-friction means for engaging with the operator rod 18.

In operation, the door latch mechanism may be released so as to permit the opening of the refrigerator door by pressing the pressure plate 17 in an inward direction. This urges the operator rod 18 to the right, as viewed in Figure 3, against the action of the compression spring 28, whereupon the opening 33 in the operator rod is placed in registry with the base 31 of the retaining hook 29, whereupon the door may be moved to an open position. In closing the door, the portions of the operator rod 18 adjacent to the opening 33 will engage with the roller 35 on the rigid hook member 29, whereupon the operator rod will be urged to the right, as viewed in Figure 3, to permit the passage of the rod 18 by the hook 29, after which the compression spring 28 is operative to move the operator rod 18 back to its initial position in locking engagement behind the base 31 of the hook. In this way, it will be noted that it is not necessary to have any protruding parts which would otherwise interfere with the efficient operation of the door.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the specific form shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such is not to be construed as imparting limitations upon the invention, which is best dened by the claim appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure `by Letters Patent:

A door latch mechanism for refrigerators having a cabinet and a door hingedly secured thereto for rotation about a longitudinal axis, a hook rigidly secured to said cabinet and an operator rod slidably carried by said door for movement between a hook engaged and a hook released position, said hook having a flat striker surface inclined outwardly from said cabinet in a direction away from said longitudinal axis and defining a rearwardly facing recess facing inwardly toward the hinge side of said cabinet, said rod comprising a pressure plate at one end in alignment with an outside edge of said door and having an opening intermediate both ends of said rod adapted to releasably receive said hook when moved into engagement therewith, and spring means carried by said rod adapted to normally urge said opening in a direction away from said axis and out of registry with said hook, relative movement between said hook and said operator rod when in an engaged position being limited to movement within a plane common to the longitudinal axes of said hook and said rod, said door having a pair of horizontally spaced ybearing elements one on each side of said opening in said pressure plate adapted to slidably support said operator rod, the end of said rod opposite from said pressure plate defining a longitudinal housing, a longitudinal guide pin within said housing, and said spring means comprises a longitudinal compression spring disposed completely within said housing encircling said guide pin and seated at one end on one of said bearing elements and at the other end on said operator rod,

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 335,822 Lehy Feb. 9, 1886 413,245 Richmond Oct. 22, 1889 700,334 Karlson May 20, 1902 2,592,073 Schwarzkopf Apr. 8, 1952 Patented Apr. l, 1958 

